


Death of a Bachelor

by PandoraButler



Series: Song Inspired Shit [1]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Adrian Crevan - Freeform, Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Black Butler - Freeform, Bravat is spelled Blavat don't @ me, Drinking, Grelliam, I'm taking songs and i'm ruining them for my own gain i'm sorry, M/M, P!ATD, Partying, Please Don't Kill Me, SebaCiel - Freeform, Sex, Sexy, Tags, The Undertaker - Freeform, Undertaker's name is Adrian Crevan in this fic, WTF, anyway, get me off the catnip, how to tag, kuroshitusji, nsfw? kinda, party like it's the fourth of july, this is all i could think about while listening to these, vintaker, what the fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-05-15 11:25:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19294765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandoraButler/pseuds/PandoraButler
Summary: Basically, Adrian ends up at a party that he never intended to go to. Now he got laid, did a few things he may or may not regret, and probably fell for the person he most certainly should not have fallen for. But you know, just a typical fourth of July. Isn't that right, Adrian?





	1. -| V I C T O R I O U S |-

There were tons of things running through Adrian's head right now. The color of his hair. The length of his fringe. The fact that he had scars all over his body. He'd thought for sure that tonight would be the night he made a difference to the world. Nope. Not at all. He was just sitting in his room doing absolutely nothing for absolutely no one. That's when he received a text, from Sebastian Michaelis, the most infamous playboy around. It was a simple message that read "Tonight we are victorious." 

Adrian didn't reply. 

He sighed. He'd just experienced a rather terrible breakup. He thought for sure the guy was something worthwhile, clearly he was wrong. His phone buzzed in his hand again. "Champagne pouring over us, all my friends were glorious c;" it read. There was a picture of Sebastian holding a champagne bottle over his head pouring it all over himself and others. He was smiling, laughing, clearly drunk and enjoying himself. Next to him was a fellow with hair a nice shade of blue. A beauty mark under his one eye. Adrian sighed. They were having the time of their lives. Meanwhile, he was sitting in his room doing absolutely nothing of importance. 

Adrian frowned and drew a bath for himself. He threw his phone to the furthest end of the bathroom and poured bubbles into his heated water. Fully prepared to turn himself into a soup. "I don't understand why this is called 'Double Bubble Disco Queen' if anything it's just moderate bubbles. Not enough bubbles. Not  _nearly_ enough bubbles to satisfy my longing for bubbles," Adrian frowned and sunk into the tub. He blew bubbles out of his mouth into the water. His bath severely lacking in bubbles, as he had complained about, and his energy to exist even less existent. 

Adrian's phone vibrated violently. He nearly jumped out of the bath. He threw his phone to the other side because he didn't expect to get any more messages. Now he was being called? What the actual flying fuck?! Social anxiety and the need to please people built up inside him the longer his phone vibrated. Fuck him up. He got out of the bathtub and ran to the phone. He picked it up, only to have it drop, so he picked it up again. After finally being able to hit the green circle for 'answer' Adrian had too much adrenaline rushing through his bloodstream. Equivalent to a person that nearly started a war by pressing the red button to a nuclear bomb  _accidentally_. 

"Hey," Sebastian was speaking too loudly. Adrian could hear the sound of music and cheering. "I'm headed to the guillotine, there is still time for you to come join us, you know?" he offered. "I know you've been going through a rough time but that's the perfect excuse to get wasted!"

" _Guillotine_??" Adrian gasped. What kind of party was this?

"Yeah, yeah, someone made a small guillotine and now they are chopping up watermelons with it. It's hella fun to watch the red juice get on everyone's clothes. Fuck!" Adrian didn't know what Sebastian was yelling 'fuck' for, but he figured it was pretty important because a ruffling noise and a couple of screams trailed out of the phone. 

"Sorry about that," Sebastian apologized, "one of the blades kind of  _flew_."

"Oh my gods, are you alright?" Adrian rushed around his apartment frantic to find a towel and some clothes. He couldn't leave the drunk Sebastian at a party like this alone or he'd wind up killed. Who the fuck has a guillotine at their party??? With a bunch of drunks??? Worst idea ever. 

"Pretty sure no gods exist, Adrian," Sebastian snickered. "But I am not injured. Can't say the same for the others here though," he let out a devilish cackle. "Could be watermelon, could be blood, who knows? All I can smell right now is the scent of alcohol and havoc. My two favorite things. Anyways, are you coming or not?" 

"I can't leave you there alone! You're bound to get messed up in something!" Adrian frowned. He closed the door to his apartment (yes, he did forget to drain the bathtub but there were other things to worry about right now). 

"I'll text you the address," Sebastian said, hanging up. Adrian frowned. He fumbled for his keys and prayed to the gods that he had enough data to use google maps. Because fuck GPS. 

Arriving at the scene was difficult, for a number of reasons, but he finally got there. Havoc. Mahem. Tons of people fucking. Tons of people drinking. Tons of people drinking  _and_ fucking at the same time. Oh, look, a barfer. Ew. Adrian avoided that with a hot sidestep. He didn't have time to dry his hair so he put it in a loose braid and decided to wing it. He wasn't here to fuck people. He was here to make sure Sebastian didn't lose his head playing with blades.

That's when he saw him. Straight out of the cinema. Lights muted compared to the one currently on  _him_. Noise deafened. Adrian was bewildered, captured by the man standing there. He didn't even realize Sebastian was next to him. All he saw was the blue of his hair, the mark under his eye, the fact that his aura seemed above everyone else. The button-up shirt at a t-shirt level party. He was holding a fucking champagne glass while everyone had solo cups. Clearly he was high class, with skin as cool as Steve McQueen, a gaze as mighty as, well, royalty  _obviously_. 

"Ah, you must be Adrian," his voice a silky smooth, not at all affected by the numerous amounts of alcohol he likely consumed. "Sebastian said you might need some cheering up. Glad you could make it," he smiled. Adrian shivered. All concept of  _why_ he had arrived at this party was gone. Forget Sebastian. All he wanted right now was to be fucked by this man. Right here, anywhere, anytime, all of the time, he wanted to be fucked, by this man in particular. 

"You're shivering, are you cold, or," amusement in his voice. Adrian shook his head. He was most certainly not cold. How could he be cold with the sheer amount of heat radiating off of this man? Not to mention the naked bodies around him in this enclosed space. (The party was outside, mind you, but there were so many people here that there wasn't much walking space).  
  
He leaned into Adrian. Their chests touching in the small space that surrounded them. His hair tickling Adrian's face as he whispered in his ear. "Let me be your killer king. It hurts until it stops, the pain of lust that is. We will love until it's not a pain any longer. I'll turn your lust into longing and then into love." 

Challenge fucking accepted. Adrian was fully prepared to roll up his sleeves and get down on his knees. The man took a step back. He stepped back as if he knew the watermelon would be clearly aimed at his head. The red fruit dripping down him, making him wet, but his aura screamed 'I'm a killing spree in white.' The whiteness of his shirt turned to pink, but in the darkness of the night, it looked more like blood. He was a murderer with eyes like broken Christmas lights. Hollow and inviting. Dark compared to the bright colorful lights of those around him. He called to Adrian, leading him away, into the unknown. 

Adrian had no idea where they were going or how they'd even gotten there when they did get there. The only focus he had was following the man with blue hair. Was this the sensation Alice felt? Following the white rabbit? There was something about it. Something inviting, thrilling, terrifying. 

"I suppose I should warn you," the man said, taking off his drenched shirt. Was this a hotel? His very home? Adrian didn't ask questions. He wasn't even drunk but his mind certainly failed him. Drunk off of the sweet taste of betrayal, that was a good a feeling as any, in that it didn't feel good at all. 

"My touch," he said, reaching his hand out to grab Adrian's shirt and rip it off, "is black and poisonous and nothing like my punch." He kissed him. A drunk kiss that intoxicated Adrian even more. He wasn't drugged. He was completely sane. And yet, this kiss certainly was a punch to the face. Never in his life had Adrian been so completely attracted to a single entity.   
  
Movements were so quick and so clean. Time gaps and Adrian ended up naked on the bed. Not a second to think about his scars or his anxiety. His regrets or his remorse or the fact that just a few hours before he was entirely in love with a different person. "I know you need it, do you feel it?" Whether he drink the water of his sanity or drink the wine of this delicious alcoholic man...it was obvious to him which was more intriguing. 

A slight nod of permission granted. Entangled bodies and euphorious moans. Delight flickering within Adrian like a candle in the void. Sex feeling good? Quite the foreign concept. Adrian's existence was meant to please others, not himself. 

"Oh?" the man placed his hand on Adrian's cheek. They still hadn't introduced themselves properly. But, a name was just a name and understanding themselves through skin was far more intimate than a simple conversation. 

Whatever it was that the man intended to say was drowned out by the yelling of a certain Sebastian Michaelis in the crowd, "We gotta turn up the crazy!" The shout caused Adrian to turn his attention elsewhere. Was that window always there? Was Sebastian really just outside? Memories of why he was there at this party in the first place flooded back. Well shit. Sebastian was out there living like a washed-up celebrity. (He certainly was drunk like one). He was shooting fireworks like it's the fourth of July. (Totally a  _perfectly_ fine thing to do while drunk btw. Bad Sebastian. You'll ruin the minds of the kids.) Wait. It  _was_ the fourth of July. That's exactly why Adrian wanted to avoid being here so damn much. Fuck it all. Someone run him over with a bus already. 

"Until we feel alright, I won't have you looking away," he snickered, grabbing Adrian's chin and drawing him back to the dead of the night. Fireworks? Who's that? Adrian didn't know her. "I'm like a scarf trick, it's all up the sleeve, I taste like  _magic_ ," he spoke, Adrian followed his hands, and even though he was watching him the entire time he still had no idea where the scarf even came from. Magic, 100% Adrian was convinced this man wasn't human and was simply a dream concocted by himself. He was probably high somewhere at a fourth of July party with absolutely no recognition of sanity left. 

The male pulled the scarf behind Adrian's neck and lifted him up with it. The two entangled again. Was he at the sea? With waves that swallow quick and deep? Someone throw the bait, catch the shark, bleed the water red. Watermelons or not, there were only fifty words for murder...

"And I'm every one of them," the man said the words Adrian had only thought about. Magic? Definitely. His touch was black and poisonous, and nothing like his punch, drunk kiss, drink the water? No, drink the  _wine_. No distractions. No disgraces. Adrian jumped off the cliff into the waters crashing below. He returned the kiss and everything else as well. The entangled mess of despair melted in this stranger's arms. Confidence brimming upon longing, turning into love. Everything he'd said had come true. Fortune teller? Magician? A genie in a bottle? Adrian no longer cared. Tonight he was victorious.

 


	2. -| D O N ' T - T H R E A T E N - M E - W I T H - A - G O O D - T I M E |-

"Alright, alright," Sebastian staggered in a direction most likely downwards. "Alright, alright," he kept mumbling the word but not really sure what it meant anymore. He laughed to himself. Ah, being drunk was the best. He didn't make sense of anything. "Alright, alright, it's a helluva feeling though, it's a helluva feeling though!" He raised his glass at the air and laughed a crazed laugh when no one returned the sentiment. He was alone, no he wasn't, who are these people?

"Sebastian? Are you okay?" Adrian waved a hand in front of his face. Nope. Most definitely not okay. He never slept. He was drunk as much as his body would allow, and...

"I just woke up in my underwear," he snickered, unsure of why that was funny. "No liquor left on the shelf," he held up his glass. There was nothing in it. Quite disappointing, truthfully, "Oh, I should probably introduce myself....myself? No, that's wrong. I need to introduce him. Him? Did you see him? He had a mole? Not the animal kind no. The mole mole kind. Like a glorified freckle? Yes, that's the one. Adrian, I'm so glad to see you," Sebastian hugged the man, stench of alcohol, barf, and other bodily fluids flowed into Adrian's nose. Disgusting. The worst part? He didn't know if it was all Sebastian's or someone else's.

"You shoulda seen what I wore! I had a cane and a party hat. I was the king of this hologram, where there's no such thing as getting out of hand!" Sebastian was so proud of himself for getting wasted. Memories tend to just pop up like that. He kept trying to think of the night before, but nothing really was working out for him. He was making it up at this point.

"Drunk pre-meds and some rubber gloves. Five-thousand people with designer drugs. Don't think I'll ever get enough. Maybe I had too much? Oh whatever. Ha! Champagne, cocaine, gasoline and most things in between, including a guillotine. I roam the city in a shopping cart! A pack of camels and a smoke alarm! I don't even smoke but I had them anyway!" Sebastian announced his victory. Adrian wasn't following a single thing he was saying.

"You aren't making any sense."

"This night is heating up. Raise hell and turn it up. Saying 'if you go out you might pass out in a drain pipe.' Oh yeah, don't threaten me with a good time!" Sebastian scolded Adrian. The party wasn't even still in effect. Was Sebastian okay? Probably not. He needed sleep. Adrian grabbed his arm and forced him back to his apartment. Not Adrian's apartment, of course, but Sebastian's. He couldn't leave him alone like this, so he waited beside the bed until Sebastian woke up again. Adrian sighed. He would much rather be at home right now soaking in a 'Double Bubble Disco Queen' bath. With not nearly enough bubbles.

"What are these footprints? They don't look very human-like," Sebastian pointed at his feet. They weren't footprints. They were his feet. What the fuck did he put in his drink last night? "Argh," Sebastian groaned and placed both hands directly on his forehead. "now I wish that I could find my clothes," he grumbled. Whatever was going on in his mind must be a great time. Adrian couldn't follow any of it. He just grabbed the 'Bedsheets and a Morning Rose' shampoo bottle and threw it at Sebastian. They weren't even in the bathroom, that's how much of a mess this guy was. All of his shit was just lying around this apartment. Adrian hated it.

"I wanna wake up, can't even tell if this is a dream," Sebastian sighed, he flopped down on his bed. He'd apparently forgotten it was a water mattress and continued his strange one-sided conversation with himself. "How did we end up in my neighbor's pool? Upside down with a perfect view?" Adrian looked up. The ceiling was far from a perfect view. He never should've left Sebastian. Goddamnit. The guy was a hot mess and then some. Did his neighbor even have a pool?

Knowing him, he probably went bar to bar at the speed of sound. Acting like he had fancy feet dancing through this town. "I lost my mind in a wedding gown! Don't think I'll ever get it now," Sebastian frowned. Some party. Sebastian? In a wedding gown? More likely than you'd think.

There was a knock at Sebastian's door. Adrian picked up the 'Bedsheets and a Morning Rose' shampoo bottle. He had to arm himself if he was going to answer  _Sebastian's_ door. There were a lot of strange people that came by here. Adrian opened the door, carefully, cautiously, and the man he'd slept with the night before stood there, dressed entirely in...what was that? Was that a dress? A skirt? Adrian couldn't really tell. But those heels though...they really did a number for his legs. Damn.

"Sorry, mind if I come in, I need to check up on the poor chap," he walked right through the door without allowing Adrian to say a word. So much for the 'Bedsheets and a Morning Rose' bottle in his hand. He sighed, closing the door. The stranger, sort of, nearly tripped multiple times. He made it work for him though. Very gracefully managing to stay on his feet.

"Sorry about this, I'm a scholar and a gentleman and I usually don't fall when I try to stand," he said, outstretching his arms to try and maintain a balance on those killer heels. "I lost a bet to a guy in a Chiffon skirt, but I make these high heels work." It's true. He did. Very much so. Adrian was absolutely  _swooning_ over those legs.

"I've told you time and time again," Sebastian sat up, pointing his finger at the stranger. "I'm not as think as you drunk I am! And, we  _all_ fell down when the sun came up. For the record. Just to set things straight. I think we've had enough. I've had enough? We? I? Am I multiple or one person? It's kind of hard to tell with the world being in double like this? Damn though, those  _heels_ ," Sebastian fell back down onto the bed and passed out.

The stranger turned his attention back to Adrian. "May I ask why you're holding that shampoo bottle so tightly?"

"I, uh," Adrian dropped it. "I liked the scent?" he laughed albeit forced. The stranger did not seem amused in the slightest. His expression never changed though, so it was hard to tell. "Okay, I lied, Sebastian is a mess and I felt I had to arm myself with something. The bottle was the closest thing around me at the time."

"I see," he nodded. Did he really see? Or was he just hiding his disgust with Adrian? But, then again, he wasn't very disgusted with him last night. If you know what Adrian means.

"Well, uh, I best be getting back home then," Adrian awkwardly scratched his arm. "Nice to, uh, see you? Again?" Adrian wanted to die. This was getting hella awkward.

"Hope to see you again, darling," the stranger blew a kiss and winked. Adrian blushed. Fuck. Fuck him. He wasn't even into drag but damn. Adrian took a step back. He forced himself out the door. Yep. He wasn't at all going to fuck that man again in Sebastian's apartment. There were too many questionable substances in there. But, fuck, he sure as hell wanted to. Goddamnit. Don't turn around Adrian. You are strong. You are independent. You are walking down this hall and skedaddling to your own apartment. Isn't that right?

 _Wrong_.

Adrian turned on his heel and caught the door before it could even close. He waltzed right back into the devil's lair and got a running start before glomping Mr. Sex. Staggering, trying to hold himself up on those killer heels, he caught Adrian in his arms. Adrian's legs wrapped around his waist and his mouth too close for comfort. But, who cares about comfort anymore?

"Fuck me, please?"

"Well," the stranger smiled, "when you ask so nicely..."

There were a number of grey areas in the apartment. Areas that were strictly off-limits because the two could sense that numerous sexual encounters had taken place there before. The first being the bed, Sebastian was already there so that was double off limits. The second was the bathroom, definitely not hygienic. The third was the floor. There was trash, among other things, lying about. So the two could only use the wall as support. It wasn't clean either, but there was no choice. Lucky for them Sebastian had  _supplies_ lying around ready for the taking.

Adrian, pressed against the wall, riding on a cock belonging to a man who looked hardly like a man at the moment. The two balanced on heels that, quite possibly, could break at any point or time. Neither caring. Adrian bit his lip, he didn't want to be loud, Sebastian would never stop talking about this if he woke up and saw. The stranger, however, cared little for formality. The same disastrous vibe that Sebastian leaked a few times was leaking out of him.

Now, Adrian wasn't blind. He could clearly tell that Sebastian was attractive but this man? Something completely different. They were cut from the same cloth but the two were molded by different hands. Sebastian, the obvious playboy with a thirst for a good time. This man, a subtle disastrous aura that tormented everyone in his wake. He felt more selective in his toys.

"Aren't you going to sing for me?" he whispered into his ear before biting down on his neck. Tears welling up in Adrian's eyes from the sheer pressure of trying to hold back. Sebastian was beyond wasted, right? It should be fine, right? Sucked back into the depths of focusing only on this man, Adrian had no choice left but to moan.

"Don't threaten  _me_ with a good time. It isn't a threat at all," the man smiled. Adrian had no regrets. Even when he lost feeling in his ass, legs, arms, he still had no regrets. Whoever this man was, he was just the right amount of crazy.


	3. -| H A L L E L U J A H |-

"Oh," Sebastian groaned, this time officially back to normal. "A moment you'll never remember. They said. And a night you'll never forget. They said," Sebastian placed both of his hands on his aching forehead and groaned again. Fuck him up. This was a nightmare. Not as much of a nightmare as seeing Adrian sitting in a chair, disheveled and uncomfortable. What the fuck? Seriously? Did he get laid? In Sebastian's very own apartment? And Sebastian wasn't awake to see it? Or be a part of it? The horror!

"That's it," Sebastian stood up, put on his shoes, didn't even bother showering or changing. He was getting drunk again.

"Where are you going?" Adrian stood up too, fully ready to go with him. The guy, as he kept repeating, was a mess.

"Out," Sebastian frowned.

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Adrian frowned back. Two could play at this game.

"It's my mistake to make, Adrian," Sebastian waved as the door closed. Fuck this. He was ready for round two. There had to be a bar around here somewhere. Well, he didn't really want to get drunk when he was still this hungover. Maybe he'd just go to the typical...yeah, time to see Lau. Lau was a worse mess than he was. Seeing some of that would cheer him up a bit.

He took a turn here and there. Walked straight for a while sometimes. And ended up in his favorite den of hell. Lau welcomed him with open arms. Just what he needed. "Oh!" Lau stood up on a nearby table. He shouted at the top of his lungs, the favorite few phrases of his humble bar, "All you sinners stand up, sing Hallelujah!"

"Hallelujah!" they stood up indeed, shouting back.

"Show praise with your body, stand up, sing Hallelujah!" he continued.

"Hallelujah!"

"And if you can't stop shaking, lean back, let it move right through ya."

"Hallelujah!"

"Say your prayers," he said.

"Say your prayers," they said.

"Say your prayers!" Sebastian finished. There was a sense of unity here. Everyone that came was a regular. Newcomers got the same treatment and often became regulars. Sinner's Haven. That was the name of the bar. And certainly, it was a haven.

Sebastian sat at the bar, that's what he came here for, and Lau jumped from table to table to get over to him. He sat on the edge and looked down at Sebastian. "Weren't you at the party last night? What are you doing here so soon? Getting drunk again? For shame, darling boy, don't you get enough hangovers already? Now you want to get a hangover on top of already having a hangover?" he snickered, shaking his finger down at Sebastian. He didn't mean a word of it. Lau was just like that, saying things he never meant.

"Oh, by the way, I saw Ciel the other day," Lau grinned, eyes closed, it was hard to tell sometimes what his true intentions were. Saying things he never meant. But, what if one day he said something he  _did_ mean? All Hell would break loose. Sebastian was sure of it.

"Really? What did he say?" Sebastian played the game. He tried his best not to get  _too_ interested. That was never much fun if he got caught.

"Well, why don't you ask him yourself?" Lau pointed. The blue-haired wonder sauntered his way over, a direct slap for Sebastian right then and there, and he sat down at the bar. Lau stood up, walking on the tables again, and made his way to the opposite end of the room. He had to give them space, after all. Eavesdropping so openly wasn't in his cards.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Ciel glared. "Don't you have people to fuck, parties to go to, and whatever the fuck else?"

Sebastian sighed. He downed his drink in one go and asked for another. Then, holding it in his hand, he swished it around, before looking up at Ciel. "My life started the day I got caught, under the covers, with secondhand lovers."

"Oh?" Ciel frowned, totally not interested in the random speech he was about to receive. If only he could murder the man right now. That would be absolutely fantastic.

"Tied up in pretty young things. In a state of emergency, who was I trying to be? Then again, well," Sebastian raised his glass, "then the time for being sad is over, and you miss 'em like you miss no other and being blue is better than being over it."

"Over it?" Ciel stood up, fully filled with rage to full capacity. "I was drunk and it didn't mean a thing!"

"I'm sure it didn't," Sebastian placed the glass back on the bar table. "Stop thinking about the bullets from my mouth. I didn't mean any of the stuff I said back then, you know? But you're still angry about water under the bridge. Crying over spilled milk doesn't really suit you, Ciel," Sebastian smiled, albeit sadly. "As always, I love the things you hate about yourself. Your two different colored eyes. Your short height. The way you get angry and say things you don't necessarily mean," Sebastian sighed and turned his attention back to the glass on the counter. He just finished a daydream. Or, was his whole life the daydream? Maybe that was it. Who were you tryna be, Sebastian?

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but no one wants you when you have no heart. You're always saying things with no backbone behind them. How is anyone to trust the words coming out of your mouth?" Ciel frowned.

"I'm sitting pretty in my brand new scars and you're the last person I need to hear that from, Mr. Anger Management Gone Wrong," Sebastian glanced in his general direction. "I think it's time we forgot about each other. Don't you? Clearly we aren't meant to be."

"You don't know that," Ciel looked at his hands. "You'll never know if you don't ever try again," he mumbled, fiddling with his thumbs.

"So let's try," Sebastian smiled.

"Let's try?" Ciel scoffed.

"Let's try," Sebastian repeated.

"Are you mad?!" Ciel tossed Sebastian's new drink right onto him and walked away. Sebastian sighed and rested his head on the counter.

"Quite the contradictory fellow, that one," he sighed again.

 


	4. -| E M P E R O R ' S - N E W - C L O T H E S |-

"Welcome to the end of eras, ice has melted back to life, done my time and served my sentence, dress me up and watch me die," Gregory Violet uttered the familiar words. He was an aspiring musician, however, he was also a big fan of the occult. Don't mind him. He was just...well... _there_. He sat in the corner of his small room, humming a tune, strumming some chords, all whilst wearing a cloak to mask his face. Black nail polish never hurt anybody.

"I swear to the gods, if it feels good, tastes good, it  _must_ be mine. Like have you tried this shit? Mm! Yas! Queen! Love it!" Blavat Sky, his roommate, and best friend, also a bit of an occultist (hm, well, he was more of a fake fortune teller. He was on the other side of occult.) He was currently in a baking phase and had just made some bone shaped cookies. He threw one at Gregory, to which the male reluctantly caught (with his mouth).

"Dynasty decapitated?" Gregory muttered, writing it down. He wasn't sure if it was going to be a keeper for his song. But, well, it didn't hurt to try.

"Wait, I'm getting a vibe," Blavat closed his eyes. He inhaled. He exhaled. Vibe received. "You might just see a ghost tonight," he pointed to Gregory with full confidence.

"I'm kind of in the middle of something here. I don't have time to play fortune teller, Blavat," he rolled his eyes. "And if you don't know now you know," he frowned. For a fortune teller, Blavat wasn't that great at reading the mood.

"I'm taking back the crown! I'm all dressed up and naked! I see what's mine and take it. Oh yeah, the crown, so close I can taste it!" Blavat danced around the room with a mind of his own. Gregory rolled his eyes again. He sighed. There was no end to his roommate speaking in tongues. They've known each other for a while but barely understood a thing about one another.

"How are you dressed up if you're naked? You make no fucking sense, Blavat," Gregory crossed his arms and rested them on his guitar. "Why do you even need a crown?"

"The world is my oyster," he nodded, still spinning in circles. "Sycophants on velvet sofas, lavish mansions, vintage wine, I am so much more than royal, snatch your chain and mace your eyes!"

"Okay, first of all," Gregory picked up his pen and wrote that down. "Second of all," he held out his hand in the form of a 'stop' and frowned. "If you're so royal why the fuck are you here living in this rundown apartment with me?"

"Hm? Heroes always get remembered but you know legends never die. You do know this right? Right? It's not just me?" Blavat frowned. He walked over and glomped Gregory. "You're a legend, darling, and I'm not just going to leave you alone to have fun all by yourself. That would be so dreadfully boring!" he snickered, petting Gregory through his dreadful hood. "My darling, darling sweet baby child."

"We are the same age, Blavat," Gregory, wait, you guessed it, he rolled his eyes again. Around Blavat he might roll his eyes so often they'd get stuck staring at his brain.

"Oh shit!" Blavat stood up and rushed to the window. "Mortal kings are ruling castles but I'm here chilling with my best bro. Look at this, Gregory! Gregory! They're here. They're here. Do the thing. Do the thing!" Blavat clapped his hands together and pointed. He was a child in adult skin, Gregory swore by it.

Gregory stood up. He took a deep breath and stood by the window. Covering one eye with his hand and striking a pose only Jojo would be proud of, he spoke the familiar few lines, "Welcome to my world of fun. Liars settle into sockets, flip the switch," and flip the switch he did, causing the window outside their apartment to go fully Halloween. Bloodied handprints, some skeletons to get a light shone on them, it was a real scene. "and watch them  _run_." Screaming children running away. Ah, Gregory loved the sweet sound of terrified small humans. It really helped him sleep at night.

"Haha!" Blavat hugged his friend and pointed at the running humans. "Take that you scallywags! Nothing shall defeat my loyal servant and I!"

"Blavat, what the fuck? I'm not a servant. At least upgrade me to your party's magician," he frowned, pulling his hood down to cover his face.

"Only the best for my faithful follower," Blavat smiled, kissing Gregory on the cheek. "Magician you shall be!"

"Don't kiss me!" Gregory shoved Blavat's face away from his.

"Don't rain on my parade! I'll bring back the circus!" Blavat frowned. He didn't release his grip on Gregory one bit. Attack of the kisses, battle two, about to take place.

"I will sacrifice your body to the son of Satan and you will know true fear when I'm done," Gregory glared. "Let go of me this instant! You sparkling piece of unicorn vomit!"

"Gasp," Blavat said as he gasped. He took a step back, fatally wounded by the insult towards all unicorns everywhere. He wasn't nearly sparkly enough to be a piece of unicorn vomit!

"As long as we understand each other," Gregory huffed, readjusting his robe of doom. He retreated to his bed, in the corner, sinking back into the darkness of it. Blavat had reached critical K.O. and Gregory had to use his time wisely before he recovered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is such a crack ship I'm sorry for making you read this...


	5. -| D E A T H - O F - A - B A C H E L O R |-

He was sitting at a table in the furthest corner of the room. It was so dismal and so disparaging that Adrian barely noticed him at all. He decided that perhaps he should go over and talk to him. But, the sheer image of it, the way he looked, pretty as a picture. Adrian didn't want to disturb. He was helping out at this restaurant because a friend asked him to. He had no idea that he was going to have to serve this guy, let alone be asked to sit with him.

Adrian walked over to him. He was on break so this should be fine. No one had any reason to yell at him. He was on break. Heh. He sat down, right across from his newfound boy of dreams, and smiled. "Hello," he said.

"Hm?" the stranger lifted his head. He looked at Adrian, with a weird grin on his face. "Do I look lonely?"

"Ah, no, I'm sorry, it's just...I wasn't expecting to see you here and..." Adrian tried to come up with all of these different excuses. The stranger simply nodded and eyed the man up and down.

"You look good in that, you know?" he said, smile (if you could call it that) never leaving his face.

"Look good? In what?" Adrian looked down. He forgot that he was wearing the waiter uniform. Right. This shit. Ugh. "Yeah, I suppose it's not bad," he admitted. "Dressing like this was never really my thing. I prefer baggy clothing. This is real Cinderella type shit," Adrian covered his mouth with his hand and looked around. Probably shouldn't use profane language in this uppity atmosphere. Fuck his life. Fuck him.

The stranger looked into the glass. There was nothing in it but water. He stared at his reflection and sighed, "I see the shadows on my face, this spot might be a bit too dark for me. Do I look ominous? Maybe I shouldn't have come here alone."

"I don't see much wrong with it," Adrian offered. "You're a nice enough looking guy. The aura around you should balance out the fact you're alone." Adrian placed his hands on the table, for lack of anything better to do with them. He smiled, completely forgetting that his fringe wasn't covering his face. Well, damnit, now he just looked weird.

"You look so nice with your hair like that," the stranger admitted.

"Ah!" Adrian covered his eyes. "People have told me, I don't look the same. I don't really understand why they say that. But, maybe I lost weight? I didn't used to look like this, I can assure you of that much," Adrian wished he could turn off the switch for blushing. The fact this corner was dimly lit was his saving grace.

His friend's boss came over to the table. He placed his hand on Adrian's shoulder, "Break is over. Time to get back to work, if you don't mind."

"I'm playing hooky with the best of the best!" Adrian laughed. "Guess the game will have to end." The boss left and Adrian stood up. "Nice to see you again," he waved.

"Ah, wait," the stranger held out his hand to grab Adrian's. "I haven't properly introduced myself even if this is our third encounter. The first two don't count," he let go of Adrian's hand and did a slight 'ahem' before continuing. "My name is Vincent. When will you be set free? I can wait for you, if you'd like to get to know each other better," he suggested.

Adrian couldn't stop his heartbeat from increasing. Fuck. "Is your heart rate okay? Your face looks a bit...flushed," Vincent said.

"Well, damn, why don't I just put my heart on my chest so that you can see it too? Like if you're going to ask something so controversial yet so brave...that's it...I'm walking the long road, gonna watch the sky fall, the lace in your dress tingles my neck. How do I live? I don't know. Maybe I don't live. Maybe that's the secret? Got a tingling. Heartrate outta wack. I just...I'll see you later," Adrian, after making a complete fool of himself, walked away. Vincent wasn't even wearing a dress this time. Goddamnit.

Vincent stared in his glass. Perhaps he said too much. Perhaps he said just the right amount. He wasn't quite sure, never was. The death of a bachelor never really suited his tastes and here he was trying to kill his bachelor lifestyle by flirting with a man he'd had sex with twice. "Didn't you have a rule?" Vincent sighed, muttering to himself, placing his head in his hands. "Don't do the same thing twice, it's bad for you and for others."

"Oh! Oh! Oh dear! I'm so so sorry!" the lady sitting at the table next to him frantically apologized for spilling her drink all over him. Ah, it was fine, it's just water. He sat there, letting the water fall, thinking about how miserable this was going to be.

"It's fine," he smiled, "don't trouble yourself over it," he insisted.

"Are you sure?" she frowned. "I can get some more napkins for you..."

"It's fine," smiling ever so brightly. She blushed. Ah, shit, he didn't mean to smile that brightly. The dazzling death of a bachelor would be ensured at this rate.

"Oh! Oh! I know!" she reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet. "I'll buy you dinner as an apology. You haven't ordered anything yet, right?" she sat down across from him. Well, this wasn't new. It usually happened to him. Any more of this and he might be considered a con artist. He didn't refuse her offer. This seems so fitting for happily ever after. A nice meal paid for by a (fairly decent looking) lady.

"How could I ask for more?" he muttered so carefully that she didn't hear a thing. He'd often thought about finding a nice lady, getting married, and maybe having a couple of children. Just two. No more, no less. He wasn't about to have a third child and start a bit of a feud. If there were two, they could get along...or they could be rivals...but still have a sense of camaraderie. He liked that. Brothers being closer than best friends. Such a romantic notion. Not that they had to be boys, of course, but he'd always thought about two darling twins. Not that they had to be twins, of course.

His friendly chat with this stranger felt lonely and strange. She was nice, quite nice, and not at all boring. But, it still felt odd to talk to her. She laughed at all the right times. Made comments in all the right pauses. Something about her was too perfect. It was like looking into his own reflection, at the facade he put on for himself and others. He didn't quite enjoy it. But, if he asked her out, and they dated, and then got married, that would be a lifetime of laughter. At what expense? At the expense of the death of a bachlor...his entire persona. That would be too soul crushing for him. Which, was, in his humble opinion, a perfect excuse to lean more towards the male variety. Not that it particularly mattered in the long run.

"Thank you for humoring me," she smiled and got up to leave. "It was nice talking to you. Don't worry, I'll take care of the check," she winked and walked off. He smiled, waving, and returned to staring at his glass of water.

"I'm cutting my mind off," he sighed, resting his head on the table. This was too much interaction to handle for one day. "Feels like my heart is going to burst," he rested his hand on his chest and clenched the thin fabric of his shirt. He wanted to die, honestly, that would be the best release from this screwed up social game.

"Alone at a table for two and I just wanna be served," he glared at the empty chair. Why didn't tables for one exist? This chair was inviting unnecessary company. The waiter was fine, but the lady? Too much of a strain on his already thin peace of mind. She'd left before the food arrived. At least she had that much decency to leave him alone.

Hours and hours passed. The food eventually arrived. He eventually ate it. He picked and he stared and he wished that he'd made the decision not to sit here, not to be here, but now he'd made a commitment. That waiter...would he even remember to come back after his shift?

Hours and hours passed still. This truly was all a mistake. The restaurant was going to close. He stood up, pushed in his chair, and made his way to the door. "Are you leaving?" the waiter chased after him. "Sorry I took so long, someone misplaced my clothes." Vincent stared at him, disbelief bound to show up on his face. He was ready to go after all?

"I was about to leave, yes," Vincent said.

"Right, well, where to?" the waiter smiled. "Oh, and uh, my name is Adrian by the way. I know Sebastian likely told you and you probably already know but introducing oneself just seems to be in the rulebook for getting to know people better." Adrian held out his hand for Vincent to shake. Vincent refused the gesture. He wasn't one for getting his hands dirty. But, on second thought, maybe just this once...he took the hand and shook it, returning the smile.

The two walked out, just wandering the streets aimlessly, waiting for something or another to happen. "How was your dinner? And, when you think of me, am I the best you've ever had? Waiter wise? Like some of those people were kinda... _meh_ ," Adrian attempted to strike up a conversation. Vincent simply smiled in response. 

. . .

The two sat at the bar of, wait, you guessed it, Sinner's Haven. Lau was sitting next to them (on the counter), giggling with glee over the fact they were even here. Vincent  _rarely_ stopped by.

"I think I outta get goin'" Adrian held up his glass and stood up. "It'sss been a pleasssure," he nodded towards Vincent and stumbled into him. "Sssee you sssooon, Vin."

"Aw, share one more drink with me," Vincent pleaded.

"Smile even though you're sad," Lau said.

"Who sssaid I wassss sssad?" Adrian frowned. "I'm jus' fine thank youuu very much Mr. Sssketchersss."

"Mr. Sketchers?" Lau wasn't sure how to reply to that one.

"Mr. Sssketchersss! Yesss!" Adrian giggled. "Becaussse you're sssketchy...obviousssly...why not," he giggled some more. 

"Right," Lau decided to let that one go for now. 

"You can't go home just yet," Vincent steadied Adrian as best as he could manage. The man could hardly stand on his own. 

"Don't tell me what to do Mr. Beauty-Mark," Adrian frowned. "I can do what I want...when I want," he snickered. 

"I'm sure you can but if you tried to go home like this you'd end up in a ditch somewhere," Vincent sighed. 

"Then, jus' take meh home!" Adrian was so proud of himself for solving the problem. "Easssy peasssy!" 

"Yeah, just take him home," Lau snickered, standing on the bar. He had a permanent case of floor-is-lava, apparently. Every time Vincent saw him he was ruining the cleanliness of tables by stepping on them. 

"I suppose I could," Vincent sighed. "I don't know where he lives though." 

"That is a-ok. I'll jus' stay wit' you!" Adrian smiled, hugging Vincent's arm. The stench of alcohol on his breath. 

"I don't think that's a good idea," Vincent frowned. 

"Oh?" Lau leaned down, staring into Vincent's eyes, "someone is getting attached to a certain silver-haired male."

"Wha'? Who?" Adrian looked around, unaware that the male was himself. 

"You always jump on the opportunity to take someone home," Lau snickered. "I can't believe I've lived to see the day where Vincent Phantomhive wants to end his bachelor life!" 

"I don't. That's part of the problem," Vincent sighed. He stood up, assisting Adrian, and began their journey back to his living situation. 

"Bye, bye!~" Lau waved, hopping from the bar to a table to another table. "Hope to see you soon!~" 

"I hope not too soon," Vincent waved as he walked out. Adrian wasn't being a very good boy. He kept swaying from side to side laughing about things that made no sense. "He is going to be the death of me," Vincent sighed, shaking his head. 

 


	6. -| C R A Z Y = G E N I U S |-

"You can set yourself on fire," the redhead fumed. "I absolutely do not give a flying fuck if you do or don't!" she stomped her foot and walked away with a skip in her step. Take that, bitch.

"Ah, wait a minute, Grell," the bespectacled man chased after her. Obviously, he was having a bad day. He nearly got fired and forgot about the dinner date the two had. It was a bit of a...disaster, to say the least. He didn't even remember to tell her he'd be running late. 

"I am not going to talk to you anymore. I don't want anything to do with you. You can jump off a bridge, get run over by a bus, I don't care," Grell crossed her arms and kept right along walking. 

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? It was a really bad day. Can we please reschedule?" William tried his damnedest to apologize. Not really working out for him. She didn't respond. She did just say that she wasn't going to talk to him. Fuck. 

"Okay, fair enough, but listen last night I had a premonition with a very attractive redheaded woman in it. She said at night in my dreams 'you dance on a tightrope of weird, oh but when I wake up you're so normal that you just disappear. You're so straight like commuters with briefcases towing the line. There's no residue of a torturer inside of your eyes.' She said 'You're just like Mike, love, but you wanna be Brian Wilson.'" 

"Brian Wilson? Do you even know who Brian Wilson  _is_?" Grell frowned. Ah, victory, she was talking to him again. The plan was perfect. A bit strange, but still perfect.

"Said, 'You're just like Mike, love, but you'll never be Brian Wilson. And I said 'If crazy equals genius.' And, that was it, that was my dream. I have no idea what it means but that was it." 

"If crazy equals genius," Grell scoffed, "then I'm a fucking arsonist."

"I'm a rocket scientist, I think?" William pondered it for a moment. This dream made no sense. It was just a conversation starter to get Grell to stop being mad. It was working, a bit, because at least she was talking to him. Crazy = Genius. 

"I know I said I was the arsonist, but you can set yourself on fire," Grell frowned. That's what she wanted to say, "but you're never gonna burn," she sighed. William sensed another 'but.'

"But?"

"You're never gonna learn!" 

She said, "Darlin' you know how the wine plays tricks on my tongue. But you don't seem to change when you stuff all of your feelings with drugs," she sighed. "It doesn't matter how many times you repeat yourself, things aren't going to change, William. You're going to promise me things you can't live up to.  You're about as filled with emotion as a sleeping cat." 

"Other boys you may have dated serrated your heart with a slice, but the cut of your love never hurts-"

"Baby," Grell rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, will ya?" 

"It's a sweet butter knife," William smiled. 

"You'll never be Dennis Wilson," Grell frowned. She refused to believe that those words might've charmed her, even a bit. 

"It was actually Brian Wilson...the name in the dream...but, that doesn't really matter. Sorry. I don't know why I was so compelled to correct you. You're right. I don't exactly know who they are. Which is even more strange. Why would names I don't know appear in my dream?" 

"Let me guess," Grell pointed at William. "It's because crazy equals genius?" 

William couldn't help but laugh. "Perhaps..." 

"I'll tell ya what," Grell grabbed William's hand, "let's just have a late-night dinner, hm?" 

"That sounds lovely." 

 

 

Meanwhile, across the street, a certain fortune teller and a certain fanboy of the occult walked side by side. "She said, darling, you know, how the mind plays tricks on my tongue. But you don't seem to change when you stuff all you're feeling with drugs," Gregory muttered, writing things down, hoping that he heard the words correctly. He probably didn't, but that would make for an even more interesting addition to his lyrics. 

"Have the stars aligned properly for those two?" Blavat squinted at William and Grell. "I wonder, do you think Cupid's Arrow has properly struck them? Perhaps I should assist the gods," Blavat pulled out a slingshot from his bag. He carefully adjusted a rock in the pouch, fully prepared to stone someone. 

"Stop, don't do that, they're fine. Can't you see? They're fine," Gregory Violet rolled his eyes. He placed his hand on Blavat's wrist and sighed. 

"Bu-"

"No butts but yours and mine," Gregory continued walking. 

Blavat gasped. "Does this mean I can touch the butt?" He quicked his pace to catch up with Gregory, tempted to slap his ass. 

"Absolutely not." 

"Bu-"

"No buts." 

Blavat pouted but followed behind Gregory faithfully. One day, he would touch the butt. 

 


	7. -| L . A . - D E V O T E E |-

"You got two black eyes from loving too hard and a black car that matches your blackest soul. I wouldn't change ya," Gregory Violet placed a wet washcloth on Sebastian's eyes. It was cold, like his bitter heart, and refreshing. How did he end up here? Did he really have black eyes? Well, that was a bit depressing. 

"Oh? You like my soul? How'd you know about my car? I didn't tell anyone I got a new one yet," Sebastian groaned. Yep. Those were definitely black eyes. "Ah, well, thanks for taking care of me as usual, Greg. I suppose I should kick myself out before you do. Wouldn't want a drunkard like me ruining your apartment, right?" he laughed, albeit forced, and sat up. Everything hurt. Just what kind of bar fight did he get into? He couldn't remember a damn thing. 

"Wouldn't ever try to make you leave, no," Gregory sighed. "How long have we known each other now, Sebastian? I consider you one of my brethren." 

"One of your brethren? Ha! You do know I'm not a N.E.E.T. with 8th grade syndrome right? That's all you, Greg. I also don't believe in the 'great unknown' like your roommate here," Sebastian gestured to, well, you know, the mysterious Blavat. 

"Oh, the neon coast was your sign and the midwest wind with pisces rising!" Blavat picked up Sebastian's hands and stared at them, frowning. "Static palms, melt your vibe, midnight whisperings," Blavat placed a hand to his ear and stared out the window. Nothing but blackness as far as the eye could see, that and a mix of the light from standard city things. 

He turned his attention fully to the window, walking over to it, and stared out with his hands on the glass. "The black magic of Mulholland Drive, swimming pools under desert skies, drinking white wine in the blushing light, just another L.A. Devotee," he crossed his arms and nodded, proud of himself for some reason or another. 

"The only thing I understood out of that was drinking wine," Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "This guy just says whatever he wants, doesn't he?" 

"Blavat's fortunes are a bit... _strange_...but they have character," Gregory defends. "Which is something you won't have any longer if you keep getting drunk and going to parties." 

Blavat placed a hand on Sebastian's shoulder, frowning as if he were a doting mother scolding her son, "Sunsets on the evil eye, invisible to the Hollywood shrine, always on the hunt for a little more time, just another L.A. Devotee." He shook his head, greatly disappointed, the little braid in his hair bouncing from side to side. 

"He does know that we don't live in L.A. or Hollywood, right?" Sebastian was thoroughly concerned. 

"Just another-"

"Blavat," Gregory interrupted. 

Blavat tried again, "Just another-" 

" _Blavat_!" 

"Uh oh," Blavat took a step back, raising his arms as if Gregory were a cop. "I'm innocent, I swear!"   
  
Gregory crossed his arms and cleared his throat. The only way to get Blavat to yield was to speak Blavat language. Time to make some shit up (just what friends are for, playing along with the game). "You got bleached out eyes from the valley sand and the black tar palms keep weeping your name I couldn't change ya, oh, couldn't ever try to make you see, no."

Blavat's eyes lit up with the brightness and enthusiasm of the night stars in a child's expression gleaming with hope. He placed his hands on Gregory's shoulders and shook him a bit. "The high rise lights read your rights! And a downtown storm with aries rising! I couldn't change ya, oh, couldn't ever try to make you see, no!" 

Gregory sighed, shrugging, waving off Blavat's words, "Static palms melt your vibe, midnight whisperings..." 

The two went on for a good ten minutes back and forth saying a bunch of random nonsense. At least Blavat's attention was no longer on Sebastian. He couldn't handle that much weird right now. These two should get married. They were already living together and Sebastian was 100% certain no one would ever understand Blavat as well as Gregory. 

"I think it's time I get a move on," Sebastian groaned, standing up. 

Blavat grabbed his wrist, frowning, "The night's air is a deadly one. Avoid standing under the sun." 

"What the hell? It's night, there is no sun to stand under!" 

"Ahem," Gregory coughed, "Blavat means to say, be careful on your way back to your car. We've had a couple of thugs in this area. Stay out of the street lights. They like to fight you where they can see you. You shouldn't have a problem with that? Right, Sebastian? Considering hanging out in the daytime isn't really your area," he snickered. 

"Very funny. I love being called a nocturnal piece of shit," Sebastian rolled his eyes and exited the apartment. He would have to look over his shoulder a bit more than usual. Yeah, that's about it. Come at him thugs. You can't touch this. Well, actually, they probably could. Shit. His head hurt and his eyes were swelling up. Yep. He looked spectacular and felt it too. 

"Ugh, just kill me, that would cure everything." 

"Hm, if you insist," a voice came up from behind. Sebastian nearly jumped out of his skin,  _nearly_ , but he hadn't stepped under a street light and the voice was familiar. Vincent? The bastard. Probably a serial killer. Vincent could definitely be a serial killer if he tried hard enough. Sebastian shuddered at the thought. 

"Sorry to scare you, Sebastian. Well, not really. What are you doing in this area?" Vincent smiled, taking a spot on Sebastian's right. He walked the same pace as Sebastian. Not a step ahead and not a step behind. Just right. Was he a stalker? Vincent would make a dapper stalker. A dapper serial killer stalker. 

"I got into a bit of a...situation and I guess a frie- no, a long-time acquaintance came to get me out of it." 

"Oh? You know Blavat Sky and Gregory Violet?" Vincent's face showed a bit of surprise but his voice didn't seem surprised in the slightest. 

"How do you know them?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. More importantly, how did he know Sebastian had just been with them? Yep. Serial killer stalker. It was becoming more and more evident. 

"Oh, well, you know, a bit of this and a bit of that. I know a lot of people, darling Sebby," Vincent laughed. This only made Sebastian more interested but he decided to drop the subject. Vincent was going in the same direction as him (for now). It would be better just to keep up the conversation and have a traveling buddy than to walk alone. Better yet, why not force Vincent to go in the same direction permanently? Befriend the serial killer so that they don't kill you. That's a basic rule.

"Do tell," Sebastian put his arm around Vincent, "at least, over a drink anyway. Come to my apartment!" 

"Someone's eager," Vincent's eyes were dark and uninviting. But, he didn't refuse. Sebastian always thought there was something sinister about him. He just never had the time to really focus on it. Time to push it to the side another night. Couldn't hurt, probably...as long as he stopped thinking about Vincent with a knife hovering over a dead body, nothing could go wrong.

 


	8. -| G O L D E N - D A Y S |-

"Hey, Sebastian, I found a pile of polaroids in the crates of a record shop!" Adrian kicked open the door with his foot and walked right on in. It was unlocked, good for him, he set the crate down on a (semi-clean) space on the floor. Little did he know Sebastian  _and_ Vincent were here. He wasn't mentally prepared to see either one of them shirtless at any given time...but at the same time it was something else.

"They were sexy," he admitted. Realizing that he said something not about the cameras, he tried to save himself. "Sexy looking back from a night that time forgot...obviously...not that you were sexy. Or that you both were sexy. Or that you both were sexy together being sexy. I'll stop talking now."

"Hmm?" Vincent smiled.

"Ahhaha," Adrian knelt down and looked at the polaroids. There were some random pictures still in this crate too. "Boy, he was something debonair in 1979," Adrian squinted at the photo. Not his type, but could've been, you know, if it was the right year.

"And she had Farrah Fawcett hair," Vincent leaned over Adrian's shoulder and pointed. Fucking shit. Shirtless man, close proximity, red alert.

"Are those carafes of blood red wine?" It was Sebastian's turn to lean over Adrian's other shoulder and point. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck fuck. He should've delayed in coming here by another hour at  _least_. Damnit.

"Hmm?" was all Adrian could say in response. His attention was no longer on the picture. Nope. He was trying to control himself. Why the fuck were these two so goddamn attractive?!

"In the summertime..." Vincent's voice trailed off. Adrian couldn't keep up with it.

"In the summertime?" Adrian frowned. He was trying really hard to focus on the words but it was impossible.

"Didn't you hear me? I said this picture must've been taken in the summertime," Vincent pointed to the sundress and the slight tan on their skin. It could've just been the age of the picture...but it did look a lot like summer. Summer. Pools. Naked men swimming in pools. Fucking. Fuck. Fuckity. Adrian stop thirsting.

"Oh," Sebastian sighed, "don't you wonder when the light begins to fade? And the clock just makes the colors turn to grey? Forever younger growing older just the same."

"No need to be so philosophical," Adrian frowned. "I wouldn't like to think about my demise at the mome-" Adrian's voice squeaked when he felt hands on his shirt, pulling it off. What?  _What_?!

"All the memories that we make will never change," Vincent assured.

"We'll stay drunk, we'll stay tan, let the love remain," Sebastian nodded. Nothing like a good skin on skin male bonding time. He grabbed Adrian by the arm and forced him to stand, only to dip him in a very romantic dance pose.

"And I swear that I'll always paint you," Vincent picked up a poloroid and snapped a picture. He was surprised the camera still worked.

"That's a camera, not a paintbrush," Adrian felt the need to clarify. He had no idea what was going on but okay, might as well roll with it. The camera had 'golden days' written in sharpie on the side. Very fitting, for some reason, probably, Adrian wasn't sure why.

Vincent tossed the camera to Sebastian, which he caught, but only after gracefully gliding Adrian to Vincent. "I bet they met some diplomats on Bianca Jagger's new yacht. With their caviar and dead cigars, the air was sauna hot," Sebastian snickered, snapping a picture of his own, as he fantasized about the owners of these poloroids.

"Hmm?" Adrian frowned, really not keeping up with this conversation.

"I bet they never even thought about the glitter dancing on their skin," Vincent ran his hand down Adrian's chest. "The decades might've washed it out as the flashes popped like pins, hm?" No sooner had Vincent said the word 'flashes' and Sebastian started snapping pictures left and right from various angles.

Sebastian tossed the camera away and slung his arm around Adrian. Vincent and Sebastian surrounding him and speaking in unison, "Time can never break your heart but it'll take the pain away. Right now our future's certain I won't let it fade away..."

"I'm so confused but apparently you guys are really having a good time," Adrian wasn't sure if he should feel confused, flustered, a bit of both, or a bit of neither.

"You did just go through a bad break up a few days ago, we're just cheering you up," Sebastian poked Adrian's cheek.

"Taking your mind off of... _things_ ," Vincent poked the other cheek.

"Right, well, can I have my shirt back?" Adrian's self-conscious attitude about his numerous scars was back at it again. It was daytime. The sun was making them all clearly visible. He just wanted his shirt. Coming here was a mistake.

"Never!" they both clung to him, trapping him within their arms, resting their heads on his shoulders.

"This is getting really hot," Adrian could feel himself starting to sweat.

"I know I am but what are you?" Sebastian smirked.

"No, no, he obviously was talking about me," Vincent smirked too.

"I just...want my Double Bubble Disco Queen," Adrian shed a single tear. He hadn't had a satisfactory bath in such a long time.

"Hm, well, I don't have that but I do have Bedsheets and a Morning Rose," Sebastian looked to the ground. Well, the bottle was around here somewhere.

"Can I go home?"

"Nope!" the two snickered.


	9. -| T H E - G O O D - T H E - B A D - A N D - T H E - D I R T Y |-

"Oh woah oh woah, oh woah oh, the good, the bad, and the dirty," Lau laid across a table with his head hanging off of one side. His arms stretched out trying to grab the hands of two unsuspecting individuals. It didn't work. But he could damn well try. One day he would turn into the snake of his dreams.

"Truth is that it was always going to end. This symphony buzzing in my head. Took a market of filth and sold it like summer," Lau sat up, dazed and confused, aching and bruised, but it didn't necessarily matter. No one was sitting at this table anyway. Everyone knew to avoid him. That's just how it was.

"True," Ran Mao, his faithful companion, walked over and sat at the table, "all of the good girls act so good 'til one of them doesn't wait their turn. Turn the memory to stone and carve your shoulder," she smiled. Ran Mao placed her hand on his arm. She always had a way of reading him like a book. She could understand his strange language better than anyone else. Sometimes even better than himself.

"Hey, holy roller," Lau jumped up to his feet and pointed at some unsuspecting individual in the bar. The individual was angry, agitated, and looking ready to fight a stranger over the smallest of reasons. "If you wanna start a fight, you better throw the first punch, make it a good one. And if ya wanna make it through the night, you better say my name like-"

"The good," Mey-Rin, another one of Lau's most trusted assistants, interrupted.

"The bad," Ran Mao snickered.

"And the dirty," Lau winked. 

Lau shook his head and shrugged. "I know what it's like to have to trade the ones that you love for the ones you hate. Don't think I've ever used a day of my education," Lau thought about it. Did he ever use that degree he went to school for? Nope. They didn't teach you these kinds of rules in school. Moral ones, that is. All of that education for a fancy piece of paper that was useless to him now. So satisfying (not really).

"There's only two ways that these things can go," Lau held up two fingers. "Good or bad and how was I to know, that all your friends won't hold any grudges. I got the final judgment," Lau sighed. The stranger had no idea what he was talking about. Lau was always in his own little world. In any case, he decided to leave before something happened and he did actually throw a punch. Lau's mission accomplished. He sat down on the table, smirking, pleasantly surprised.

"And you," Lau pointed to Ran Mao before he leaned over and hugged her. His face directly in her chest, as one does, "been gone so long, I forgot what you feel like, but I'm not gonna think about that right now," Lau frowned. He said he wouldn't think about it but he was thinking about it anyway. Funny how that works.

"I've been working at the bar for a total of ten minutes. I haven't been gone that long," Ran Mao replied. Sure, she wasn't gone technically but her soul had been disconnected from him for quite some time now. He could feel the distance.

"I don't care. I missed you," Lau frowned. "And, I'm gonna keep getting underneath you," Lau released his grasp on Ran Mao just to wiggle his eyebrows seductively. How does one do that? Well, step one is: you become Lau.

"You need to stop doing that," Ran Mao, expressionless as always, pushed Lau further away so she could get up on the table and sit on his lap.

"Stop doing what?"

"Stop saying things you don't mean, yessir," Mey-Rin adjusted her glasses and sat on the table, swinging her legs back and forth. "I think Ran Mao will start takin' you up on yer offers if ya don't start speaking the truth, yes I do."

"Mey-Rin, how many times do I have to tell you to take those horrid things off?" Lau frowned. Ran Mao leaned forward and snatched the glasses. Mey-Rin's overall sexual appeal increased tenfold.

"Give them back!" Mey-Rin pleaded. She reached out to grab them back but Ran Mao jumped up and hopped from table to table. She caught Lau's floor-is-lava personality briefly. "Please!" Mey-Rin ran around, bumping into things, angry for not being able to see where she was going. "I need them!"

"No you don't!" Lau snickered. He was never going to be forgiven for this turn of events. He didn't care. This was amusing and he'd enjoy every minute he could. Lau liked to live in the now. Never the future. Never the past.

He sighed deeply. "And all our friends want us to fall in love," he mumbled under his breath. "Too bad she loves someone else..." Once again he was stuck in his own world with no one to understand. But that was fine, he decided, plopping down on the table and falling asleep.


	10. -| H O U S E - O F - M E M O R I E S |-

Without rhyme or a reason Adrian found himself in the bar Sebastian frequently attended. A male was sprawled out over a table with his arms hanging off. His eyes closed but his finger pointed directly at Adrian. "Woah! Woah there, hot stuff, I don't think I've seen you before," he snickered, laughing giddily like a drunk. To be fair, he probably was drunk.

"Uh, well, you see," Adrian scratched his arm. "I'm, uh, well..." He had no reason to be here. He just hoped Vincent might show up at some point. The man sat up, jumped, and landed on a table closer to Adrian. He held out his hands and grabbed Adrian's face, dragging him closer.

"If you're a lover you should know the lonely moments just get lonelier the longer you're in love, than if you were alone," he snickered. Was that a joke? Adrian didn't understand. "The name is Lau, by the way, I do hope I end up seeing more of you."

"Memories turn into daydreams, become a taboo..." an attractive lady mumbled from across the room. Or, Adrian assumed her to be attractive. He didn't know what made women pretty. That wasn't his area.

"That's Ran Mao," Lau introduced her. "Tell me your troubles, my handsome darling," Lau grabbed Adrian's hands and dragged him up onto the table. He pushed Adrian into him, gazing into his face, a Cheshire grin plastered on him.

"I don't want to be afraid the deeper that I go, it takes my breath away, soft hearts electric souls," Adrian muttered. He didn't want to talk but he found himself talking. Was this sorcery? Or the power of gay attraction. Adrian should have that checked.

"Heart to heart," Lau pressed Adrian closer to him, "eyes to eyes," he brushed back Adrian's hair to gaze. His eyes still closed. How was this eyes to eyes? Adrian felt like he was being examined. Was he a science experiment?

"Uhm..." Adrian's concerns were cut off by a finger placed on his lips.

"Is this taboo?" Lau asked. Adrian blinked. No? "Baby we built this house on memories-"

"My, my, Lau your tastes are as varied as ever," a familiar voice chuckled from the corner. Vincent was here?

"You know me, sweetheart, if it's human and of age, I don't discriminate," Lau dropped Adrian and hopped over to the bar. He walked down (avoiding the customers' arms) and sat before Vincent. He grabbed Vincent's chin and leaned forward. "Would you rather be my new toy?"

"Take my picture now," Vincent shooed Lau's hand away, "it'll last longer. Shake it 'til you see it and when your fantasies become your legacy, I'll think about it."

"Will you promise me a place in your house of memories?" Lau frowned.

"Uhm," Adrian rolled off of the table, stood up, and rubbed his ass from the pain of being dropped and falling off a table. "What's going on?"

"You're being fought over by two assholes," Sebastian cackled and downed another drink. He was here too? Damn. Might as well be a party.

"The only asshole here is you, shitface," a miniature Vincent growled. No. Wait. Sebastian had talked about him before. Ciel? Was that his name? Adrian needed to take notes on Sebastian otherwise he couldn't keep up.

"Right, right, I'm the asshole, what do you want me to do? Apologize?"

"It would be a start," Ciel mumbled.

Sebastian stood up and got down on one knee. He placed his hand over his heart and outstretched the other one towards Ciel. "I think of you from time to time, more than I thought I would, you were just too kind, and I was too young to know..." Sebastian shed a singular melodramatic tear. "That's all that really matters...I was a fool." The shocked expression on Ciel's face was enough for Sebastian to break the 'character' he'd created. He burst out into a fit of laughter. "I don't know what's more surprising, that you believed me or that you were able to show any emotion other than rage."

"Ah, maybe the lad was right. You are quite the asshole, darling Sebastian," Vincent sipped his drink and smirked.

"Oh that's rich coming from you," Sebastian stood up and sauntered over to Vincent. He rested his arm on the counter and gave Vincent a nice pat on the back. "Don't think I don't know about all of  _your_ escapades."

"The difference between you and me, Sebastian, is that I have decency. Those thoughts of past lovers, they'll always haunt me, but you forget them as easily as breathing. A simple divide can make a world of difference."

"You hear that, Lau? This guy thinks he is Gatsby," Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Pretending you're better than everyone doesn't mean you are."

"I doubt you're in a place to lecture me, old sport," Vincent shot him a glare. He stood up, pressed his hand against the bar and lept onto it. This earned him a whistle from Lau. With a simple maneuver, he slid down the bar to Adrian. He outstretched his hand. "Would you like to escape before drawing any more attention to yourself?" he asked. Adrian nodded and grabbed Vincent's hand. The male stepped onto a vacant chair and jumped down to the ground. He began to run, still holding Adrian's hand, and the two dashed out and escaped.

"Wait!" Adrian lost his breath. "Wait, please!"

"Just a few more blocks. Hang in there," Vincent continued running full speed ahead. How could he run in those dress shoes? Didn't that hurt his feet? Damn.

Adrain slammed right into Vincent's back when he stopped. He rubbed his nose and gasped at the view. Look at all those lights! "Lau funded a Chinese lantern festival this year. It was his act of good to keep him on God's saved side," Vincent snickered. "I thought it was rather well done so I thought I'd show you."

"It's so beautiful," Adrian said between breaths. He was hopeless at sport-related activities. He had zero stamina.

"Not as beautiful as you, unfortunately," Vincent smiled. "I doubt anyone could replicate that. True beauty is hard to find."

"Goddamn," Adrain blushed. "Did you come up with that all on your own or is there a book for that type of thing?"

"Hm?" Vincent looked confused.

"Ahaha," Adrian pointed to a particularly interesting lantern, "look at that. So nice. Yes. Let's go take a closer look..."

"Wait a moment," Vincent refused to take a step forward. "Have I offended you in some way?"

"No, no that's not," Adrian let go of Vincent's hand. He shook his own hands in the air and then hid his face in them.

"Then," Vincent grabbed Adrian's hands and moved them to look at his face. "Will you go out with me?"

"I'm already out with you. See? We're outside...together...here...right now..." Adrian avoided eye contact.

Vincent chuckled, "Will you date me?"

Adrian exhaled a long breath. "I wish I could believe you'd never wrong me. But you're so dashing. I don't think anyone could tie you down. It would be a crime against the world."

"Then we shall have to work on your self-confidence. Then will you remember me in the same way as I remember you?" Vincent placed his hand to the base of Adrian's neck and pushed him down so the two could kiss.

"I quite like you, Adrian." Adrian didn't reply. His face was so hot Vincent could feel steam coming off of it.

"I think I'd like to die now..."

"Hm, I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"Pretty please?"

"I do like you begging though. Do it again," Vincent snickered.

"Keep talking like that so I can have a heart attack and get my wish," Adrian clutched his chest. Could his heartbeat get any faster?

"I'll save it for the bedroom. I'd rather keep you in suspense."

"Do you come with a manual? I don't know how much of this I can take."

"Kinky."

"W-what?! That wasn't even- oh shit."

Vincent laughed at Adrian's pain. "I'll stop, for now," he smiled and grabbed Adrian's hand again. "Shall we look around at the lights a bit closer?"

"Yes please."


	11. -| I M P O S S I B L E - Y E A R |-

"There's no sunshine, this impossible year, only black days and sky grey and clouds full of fear and," Sebastian's voice choked as he thought about everything that had taken place. He fought back the regrets and kicked a rock as he walked. "Storms full of sorrow that won't disappear. Just typhoons and monsoons, this impossible year. There's no good times. Just a beachfront of bad blood and a coast that's unclear. All the guests at the party...they're so insincere. They just intrude and exclude," Sebastian sighed. He ran his hand through his hair and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He kicked another rock and stepped out onto the beach. He listened to the waves as he stepped closer and closer to them. No amount of booze could fill this black hole of a heart.

"There's no you and me. Only heartache and heartbreak and gin made of tears. The bitter pill I swallow, the scars souvenir, that tattoo, your last bruise..." He took out his phone and scrolled through pictures. Of Ciel, of course, and rememebred all of the fond times. Shitty memories now.

"There's never air to breathe. There's never in-betweens. These nightmares always hang on past the dream. There's no sunshine. There's no you and me. There's no good times," he gritted his teeth and raised his hand to throw the phone into the water. He held it in the air, swinging his hand back, but ultimately shoved it back into his pocket. Fully clothed and ready to get cold, Sebastian took a step into the water. He kept walking until the water lapped at his knees.

"What the hell?!" a certain blue-haired wonder ran towards him and pushed him into the sand. The water attacked them both as he held Sebastian close. "You can't die you asshole!"

"What the fuck?!" Sebastian tried to shove Ciel off and failed miserably. He only clung to him more.

"I know you're an asshole but you don't have to kill yourself over it!" Ciel shouted.

"I wasn't going to drown! I just wanted to-" Sebastian paused and thought about it. He started laughing. "I guess it did look like that. But I can assure you I'd sooner die by a broken liver than the ocean!"

"That's not much better you alcoholic!"

"I'm surprised to see you care," Sebastian continued to snicker as the waves lapped at them. Some water got in his ears but he didn't seem bothered. Ciel was the one who looked frozen.

"I," Ciel paused and got up. He swatted some of the sand off of him and crossed his arms. "I never said I didn't care, idiot," he frowned.

"Yeah, yeah," Sebastian got up. He nearly fell over from the alcohol still in his system but he didn't. He managed to stay standing.

"Good God, you're such a mess," Ciel sneezed. A cute petite sneeze. Sebastian laughed.

"You're still adorable even when you're looking down on others. Tell me, is it warm down there? Being close to Hell and all," Sebastian patted Ciel's head. "Do you want to come to my apartment? It's not that far from here. You'll catch a cold otherwise, Milord."

"I'd rather die then go to you're cockroach infested pig pen," Ciel sneezed again.

"By all means," Sebastian gestured to the waves, "have at it."

Ciel sneezed a third time. "I suppose I could grace you with my presence this once."

...

"What the fuck is wrong with you? How do you live like this?" Ciel pinched his nose. It was a mess in here. He couldn't stand it.

"I'm not here, usually, I can't stand sleeping alone," Sebastian tore off his clothes and wrapped himself in a blanket. Ciel watched his every move but refrained from taking anything off.

"I just fixed the shower recently so feel free to use it."

"I would rath-"

"Die. Yes I know," Sebastian sat on the edge of his bed.

"No," Ciel walked towards Sebastian and grabbed the blanket. He snatched it out of Sebastian's hands and let it fall on the bed. "I would rather take one with you."

"You'd have to be out of your mind to make a mistake like that."

"Call me crazy then," Ciel smirked. He took off his shirt and flung it to the ground. "I have missed you, Sebastian." He placed his hands on Sebastian's chest. "Even if you're a bastard you're an attractive bastard."

"Thanks, I guess," he sighed. He grabbed Ciel's hands and removed them. "Go take your shower."

"Sebastian? Refusing a good time? Are you feeling alright?" Ciel felt his forehead for a fever. "Are you sick?"

"I only brought you here so you could take a shower. So take it and leave me alone," Sebastian reapplied his blanket and plopped onto the bed. "I prefer not to do anything fancy with people I'm still emotionally bonded to."

"Aw, you're emotionally bonded to me? How sweet," Ciel rolled his eyes. "Makes me wonder why you ever cheated on me to begin with."

"You know what? Fine," Sebastian snapped. He stood up and grabbed Ciel's shoulders, leading him to the bathroom from behind. "Let's take a shower."

"W-what?! No!"

"Oh, I insist."

"I wasn't being serious!"

"It's too late now sweet cheeks," Sebastian turned on the water and shoved Ciel in.

"I'm still wearing my pants!"

"By all means, strip," Sebastian stepped into the tub and gestured to Ciel's legs. He turned around to grab a bottle of soap or shampoo or something but he never actually grabbed it. Ciel hugged him and sobbed into his back.

"Why'd you have to do it? Why'd you cheat?"

"I didn't," Sebastian sighed.

"Liar."

"You walked in and left before I could explain. I'm not lying," he frowned.

"Oh so you were just naked with some women for the fun of it? Is that it?"

"We got drunk, took off our clothes because it was hot, and then passed out. So, yeah," Sebastian shrugged.

"Why'd you wait till now to say that! Fucker!" Ciel curled his hands into fists and hit Sebastian's back.

"You never would've believed me and you know it. You'd already decided what happened." Ciel kept slamming his fists down on Sebastian's back. It hurt, a bit, but mostly it was like a massage. 

"I hate you," Ciel's tears mixed with the water of the shower. A nice salty endeavor.

"Great. Now get off of me," Sebastian sighed.

"No."

"What is your problem?" Sebastian grabbed Ciel's hands but the shorter male refused to let go.

"Can we go back? To the way things were?"

"Time Travel is impossible still. Have you found the Doctor? Then maybe..."

"I'm being serious here you fuck."

"Is that what you were doing? It looked to me as if you throwing a tantrum like a little kid."

"I hate you," Ciel released his grip on Sebastian to cross his arms. "Go die for all I care."

"If you insist," Sebastian opened the curtain to take a step out.

"What!? No!" Ciel grabbed Sebastian's arm.

"Relax. I'm just getting a drink so you can shower."

"That's not allowed either," Ciel frowned.

"Of orange juice, you little shit. Nonalcoholic."

"Oh."

Sebastian snatched his arm away and walked out. He opened his fridge for that concentrated goodness and hugged the carton while sitting on the floor. "Someone should kill me," he sighed and brushed his hair back. "That was a nightmare."

 


End file.
